A meta-analysis quantifying transmission parameters of FMDV strain O Taiwan among non-vaccinated and vaccinated pigs

Our aim was to provide additional estimates of main parameters for the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strain O Taiwan (3/97). We used the data of previous experiments in non-vaccinated and vaccinated pigs and combined the data of experiments with the same treatment(s). First, we quantified the reproduction ratio R for the various groups using a final-size method. Our final-size results predicted that vaccination with a four-fold vaccine dose (but not with a single dose) at 1 week before inoculation (-7 dpi) would reduce R compared to the non-vaccinated group. Secondly, we used the daily results of virus excretion to quantify the transmission rate beta (by using generalized linear modelling), and the infectious period T(by using survival analysis). We used the estimates of and T to estimate R more precisely as compared to the final-size method and also for the groups for which a finite estimate could not be obtained using a final-size method. Our modelling results predicted that beta for non-vaccinated, for single-dose and four-fold-dose groups would be 6.1 (3.7, 10) day(-1), 2.0 (1.0,4.0) day(-1) and 0.4 (0.1, 1.4) day(-1), Tat 6.5 (5.7, 7.3), 5.3 (4.7, 6.0) and 2.3 (0.9, 5.7) days and R at 40 (21, 74), 11 (4.9, 24) and 1.0 (0. 1, 7.8), respecfively. These results predicted that both vaccination with a four-fold vaccine dose and with a single dose at -7 dpi would reduce beta, T and R significantly as compared to the non-vaccinated pigs, thereby showing that vaccination will reduce transmission of FMDV significantly already I week post vaccination. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.